Amy Vetter, CPA.CITP, CGMA

2020-2021 Most Powerful Women in Accounting
CEO, The B3 Institute

What advice would you give others following in your similar path about the opportunities for women in the accounting profession?

Say YES! When you don’t feel ready for an opportunity that is presented to you – Say YES! When you think you may not have all the skills you need to be perfect for the role – Say YES! When an opportunity doesn’t sound exactly like what you imagined but it gives you the experience you need to move up – Say YES! When an opportunity might be sideways, but gives you the skills to get where you want to go long term – Say YES!

I have never been sorry for any opportunity I have had in my career – even the bad ones and failures. Without those experiences I could not be doing what I do today. Don’t let opportunities pass by, because they often don’t come again. When you feel the negative self-talk, get still and ask yourself whether those thoughts are true. We can be our own worst enemy and get in the way of our potential if we aren’t careful. We do not have to know everything to take the next role. There is no way to know how to do that role until you have done it. Learn to stretch yourself and be okay in the learning process when it’s uncomfortable. Say YES!

What steps would you offer to employers to be more effective in retaining and advancing women?

Reach out and ask women how things are going for them 1:1. Provide an open and transparent space that you are trying to learn and ensure them you are ok with the feedback. If you provide a safe space to really hear the experiences others are having, you can learn what initiatives are actually working and which are not, and ideas for the future. Also invite them into meetings they normally would not be a part of as an observer. Provide them questions you would like them to answer about the meeting beforehand so the feedback is defined and actionable. Allowing their perspective and receiving it without defensiveness can go a long way in helping them feel understood, as well as, creating steps for advancing and retaining women that you many never have thought of before.

Why did you choose to work in – and stay in – an accounting related field?

I knew I was going to be a CPA when I was 12 years old. My grandfather was a CPA in the 1930s and served his entire career as a CPA. Before college, I was deciding between music and art and going to business school, I realized what excited me was helping businesses thrive. Accounting has given me the skills and opportunity to continue to pivot in different directions when my expertise or interest grow in a new direction. There are so many different ways to be in the accounting profession, from public accounting to corporate accounting, technology to advisory services, and so much more. If there are verticals you are excited about, you can specialize further into construction, government, retail and the list goes on. There is no limit to finding what is right for you with the expertise you build over time. You just have to keep your eyes open for those opportunities and get involved.

What book(s), blog(s), or podcast(s) do you recommend that have guided you on your journey?

Books –

Untamed – Glennon Doyle
Revolution of the Soul – Seane Corn

Podcasts –

Mine 🙂 – Breaking Beliefs
The School of Greatness – Lewis Howes
Unlocking Us – Brene Brown

McKinsey & Company issued their 2020 Women in the Workplace study that basically says that the current pandemic is starting to impact the strides women, especially women of color, have made in the profession. What advice would you give to employers to support women during this time so that the future of our workforce isn’t negatively impacted?

Not expect traditional work hours or coming to a physical location. Flexibility is key right now. With family demands, internet constraints between work and school-aged children being remote, the 8-5 workday is not necessarily achievable. Place deadlines on projects and set up your business with the technology that supports anytime anywhere work. Unless a meeting is required to be during certain hours, allow the flexibility to work when needed to get projects done on time without a constraint on which hours of the day that is. With the unpredictability of children having to be home from school, requiring them to come into the office can be a recipe for them to feel that they no longer have a place in your business. Reach out to the people that work for you and ask the simple question – “how can we help?”. Be proactive with the feelings of overwhelm so that they know you care and they still have a place in the business to continue to grow in their career.

What advice would you share with young women CPAs striving to achieve similar success in this profession?

Get out there! Find where you can showcase your expertise – through a nonprofit organization, business association, writing articles or speaking. Know that this is an investment in yourself and your future career and you will not make money doing this initially. Take the time to craft your personal brand and what value you want to bring to people around you – co-workers, clients, friends and people you may not even know yet. Pick one area and dedicate time to it everyday. Little by little people will take notice. Be receptive to what is resonating with them and go deeper in those areas that are helping people with the expertise you have. Over time you will start to see the payoff.

Describe one person who has been an important mentor and sponsor to you and how that person helped shape the direction or focus of your professional life.

I haven’t had only one person in my career life. I have people inside and outside the profession that I go to for different guidance. I believe you seek out the people you need, when you need them, to help with your growth and providing an outside perspective that can challenge you and steer you in the right direction as well.

Please share a personal rule or principle that you follow.

Create a life true to yourself rather than what others expect of you.